I cannot really express the happiness that I felt on the arrival of your kind
letter dated the 15th, October 1840. Not only myself but the whole of your other
surviving friends, for we got no account of any of you since your mother died
till the arrival of your letter and at that time your Grandfather and Grandmother
were both living.

I am in the same place that they had that is Balvraid and Angus my Brother is
also in the same place.

My family consists of eight children five boys and three girls of whom the oldest
called Mary after your Mother has married lately the Miller of Glenelg a native
called Donald Morison. My sons names are:- Roderick Kenneth, Duncan Angus and Donald, the other two daughters Janet and Meron all single yet. Angus my brothers
family are:- Rebecca, Duncan, Catherine, Meron and Kenneth. Rebecca is married
to one Donald McLeod son to the crippled tailor whom your father if
he be yet living will understand the rest of the family being yet single.

This
place is greatly altered since you left it for I pay a yearly rent of 21 pounds-2-3
Sterling for the fifth part of Balvraid for which rent I keep eight milk cows
with their followers and a horse and twenty sheep, and Angus my brother the same
but we cannot always keep our full compliment of cattle on the place as
the rent is so high and nothing to pay it with but cattle and all the rest of
the country is in the same proportion of rent.

I never lost view of wishing to be in America but am now getting old as also my
wife, but it is hard to say but some of my family may go there, nay, it is most
probable that they will and perhaps ourselves too, as this place is getting dearer
every day, therefor would very much wish if ever you get this to write me back
your opinion whether it would be better for us to go there or to remain where
we are for I see a vast difference between what your letter says in regard to
rents and what we have here and let you make the thing so plain that we may completely
understand it, for I have a grown up family that would do well if they were in
a place where a competence could be got for their work but that is not to be got
here.

All friends as well as myself are much obliged to you for your kindness in writing
to us especially as you are the youngest of the family, that makes your letter
doubly welcome because people would think the oldest of a family the most considerate.

I am thinking it was Peggy McRae one of our Glenelg women that married a Kintail
man and who went last year to Prince Edward Island along with the Skye people
that gave you what account you got of us! If we had your correct address the letters
would be oftener between us that they were for there is nothing in nature more
pleasant than the perusal of a letter from an absent friend. To Give you a proper
idea of this place there are scores of families in Glenelg here living on one
acre of land each for which they pay two pounds Sterling of rent and those of
them that have the means of keeping a milk cow along with the acre pay
five pounds Sterling yearly, so you see there are great odds between that and
what is in your place.

We had a plentiful year last year, the potatoes (on which the common people mostly
feed) were sold for two Shillings per barrrel but owing to the wet weather of
this last summer and harvest, they are so scarce this year that they bring five
Shillings the barrel.

It is not very long since I heard from our friends in Canada and they were well
and in a prosperous way and if you hear from them tell us; for when I heard from
them your old maternal Uncle Roderick my brother was living.

Your friends on your fathers side are getting scarce. Margret your Aunt
died since the arrival of your letter. She never married and Christy your Aunt
is still living. She is a widow living with Neil her son who is still unmarried
and so is her daughter Betsy and Mary also. Farquhar and Malcolm her other sons
are both married and have families but Farquhar is in Drynout in Skye. Catherine
and Christy her daughters are also married and have families.

I may say that the most of the people here would gladly emigrate to British America,
if they had the means of doing so, but they are generally so poor that they have
petitioned the proprietor this last Martinmas for help to that effect but got
no answer yet, so if the Laird or the Government will not help them that they
must remain miserably where they are, but the Parliament are at present discussing
the matter but the issue cannot be known yet but will soon be.

Old Malcolm McRae the tailor offers his best wishes to your father if he be still
living. I conclude my dear Niece, with kindest compliments in which I am joined
by my family, by Angus my Brother and family and your friends on the other side
to you all, but more especially to your father if he be yet living, and in expectation
of your answer.